Carrying alcohol home

Does anyone know what the limits are for carrying alcohol home on a plane? Several years ago when we went on a cruise you could bring two bottles per person. Can it be brought through security on a connecting flight?

No liquid over 3oz allowed through security. You can buy it after you get through security and carry it on the plane. Unfortunately if you're connecting and having to clear customs during your connection you will likely run into a problem. I've only known people who buy duty free in the airport and take a nonstop home!

Well, technically, you can bring home as much as you want, but you will have to pay a duty (tax) on anything over the limit - One liter per person, unless one of the bottles is from the Caribbean basin, then you can have two liters duty free. The challenge comes if you have a connecting flight in the U.S. Because you have to go through security again once you go through customs and immigration, you must limit yourself to the silly 3:1:1 rule (nothing more than 3 oz in a one quart zip bag per person). You can pack your liquor into any checked bags you have (you are required to pick up your checked bags and recheck them after you go through customs). We have successfully brought home bottles this way, but you have to be very careful to wrap the bottles in clothing to keep in safe in transit.

Alcoholic Beverages
One liter (33.8 fl. oz.) of alcoholic beverages may be
included in your exemption if:
• You are 21 years old.
• It is for your own use or as a gift.
• It does not violate the laws of the state in which
you arrive.
Federal regulations allow you to bring back more than
one liter of alcoholic beverage for personal use, but,
as with extra tobacco, you will have to pay duty and
Internal Revenue Service tax.
While federal regulations do not specify a limit on the
amount of alcohol you may bring back for personal use,
unusual quantities are liable to raise
However I was able to bring back several bottles of RUM CREAM with no problem due to the low alcohol content.

If you buy alcohol at the MBJ airport, which is the best deal you will get, it is after you have gone through security. You carry those liquids onto the plane with you, but once you arrive in the US, you will need to put those bottles into your checked baggage, before re-checking, because you will not be able to carry through security to get to your connecting flight. Not sure what current the quantity limit is, but we always bring back about 6 bottles of rum & rum cream.

On a connecting flight you will have to pick up your bags and go through immigration/customs. At this time you will have to place your liquor IN your CHECKED bags! You will not be allowed to carry on your alcohol onto the second flight.

Colleen26 answers the question of how much you can have in carryon luggage.

As far as "how much you can bring home," the blunt answer is "as much as you can pack." Of course, there are caveats, primarily what the airline's going to charge for your luggage (especially if it gets overweight!)

The other caveat is what you pay at US Customs. You can bring in one liter per person duty free (and, for some reason, folks thing that's all you're allowed to bring). You can bring more, but be sure to declare it (or risk its confiscation), and you might have to pay a duty on it. My experience has been they usually waive any fees if it's not an excessive amount (we've brought in as much as 6 liters between the two of us without any hassles).

The duties, if they do collect, will be minimal. You'll probably pay more to the airlines for the extra piece of checked luggage!

Hi Keywest51,
If you buy alcohol at the duty free shop at MBJ, you can carry it on the plane until you reach your connecting airport. At that time, you will have to claim your luggage go through immigration/customs and then you will have to pack your alcohol in your suitcase(s) because you will have to go through Security again and the 30z rule applies.

What we used to do when would have connecting flights, we would stash gallon size ziplock bags and some bubble wrap on the outside zippers of our checked luggage and would put the booze in the ziplock and wrap it with the bubble wrap and pack in our suitcase and then re-check it. You just have to remember to leave some space in your suitcases!

Collen is correct. But we do have a connecting flight in the states. You carry them on your flight from Montego Bay in a sealed bag / box they give you. When you land is the US, you must put them in a suitcase before rechecking it for your final. destination. We wrap the bottles in towels or clothes, then put them in plastic bags we bring just for this. You can also buy some resealable and single use bags made mainly to transport wine, but alcohol will fit.
The airport shops have some very good prices, so worth doing. And don't forget the rum cream!

Mi love fi binaked inna Jamaica
(Patois for: I Love To Be Naked in Jamaica / At the island or SSB Mon!)

Does anyone know what the limits are for carrying alcohol home on a plane? Several years ago when we went on a cruise you could bring two bottles per person. Can it be brought through security on a connecting flight?

If you are flying into the US, the 2 liter per person limit is correct. However, you cannot bring the alcohol through security. When you land in the US (assuming you have a connecting flight to elsewhere in the States), you will have to collect all your luggage and go through customs and immigration.

Does anyone know what the limits are for carrying alcohol home on a plane? Several years ago when we went on a cruise you could bring two bottles per person. Can it be brought through security on a connecting flight?

Once you clear customs and immigration (assuming you're headed to the US), you will have to put any fluids over 3oz in your checked baggage. You cannot take it through security - unless you really want to donate some fine Jamaican rum to a TSA agent...

If you buy your booze at the duty-free in the airport and carry it on, you will have to put in into your checked bags when you go through customs on any connecting flight. Not that big a deal, just don't forget or it WILL get confiscated! I remembered to move the alcohol, but forgot the jerk sauce and they took it

When I travel somewhere I am going to be bringing home alcohol, I pack bubble wrap in my luggage. I bubble wrap the bottles and put them in my checked luggage. I've done this for 1-2 flights a year since the 2001/2002 liquid restrictions and I've never had one break.

KeyWest51 - great question as this was on my list of questions to ask also...

we are going to CSA in May for the 1st time (also 1st time out of the country) and we love the Rum

I hope you don't mind if I ask this question in relation to yours...but we do have a connecting flight on the way home from Miami to Chicago....so I am unclear if it is ALWAYS required for the a passenger coming from Jamaica will be required to get their bags and re-check or if this is only if you want to add things to your luggage?

I am a little unclear in the answers if this is a normal process or something you want to consider doing if you purchase alcohol. Hope this makes sense.

THANKS everyone for all the great information! Yes, we have a connecting flight in Orlando and I had not thought about having to go through customs there...thought it would be when we landed in Indianapolis! If everyone agrees that there will be opportunity to "repack" our luggage at our connection that is the way we will go. Definitely don't want to donate any rum to TSA! Seven more weeks!

Cassie F. - any time you fly into the U.S. from a foreign country, you are required to go through customs and immigration. (Small exception - There are a few countries that have U.S. customs/immigration inside their airports; these include Bermuda and Aruba; Jamaica does not have this.) Part of this process is collecting your checked luggage and going through customs. If you are continuing on to another flight to your final destination, you will then recheck your bags. There is always a special area to recheck your bags near the customs area. It doesn't matter if you bought booze, or did not buy a single thing while you were out of the country, you will go through this process. And then you will need to go through security at your connecting airport. If you have any liquids over 3 oz (including jerk sauce, hot sauce, rum cream, whatever), you will not be able to take these through security. They can, however, be packed in your checked luggage.

We picked up some "Bottle Armor" from Magellan's Travel Supplies (they have a web site, just Google it). These are spill-proof, reusable bags that have bubble-wrap inside and protect bottles of wine/liquor. Once we clear customs with our duty-free packed bottles, we put them in the Bottle Armor, tuck them into our luggage, and are good to go. We used to use just a bowl and bubble wrap until the tim we ended up with Rum Cream all over a bag of luggage... so to us the expense of the Bottle Armor is worth it. (And, as I said, it is re-usable, you can use it for trip after trip). Good luck!

Basically US citizens get $800 total each duty free items for personal use or gifts (with a few odd exceptions) but only 1 liter of alcohol per person over 21 (from the Caribbean nations). A family traveling together can "pool" their allowances. So if 2 of you have a total of 3 liters, 1 liter can not be officially counted in your $800. However we have never been charged extra (it's only 3% anyway for the first $1,000 over at a general rate for anything). So if you think about it, 3% of what it cost you for a little booze is not worth their time messing with the forms.

BUT you must declare everything, including your "allowance" items. And if you have more than 1 liter each it is wise to verbally declare it to the officer if asked. If you do not, you risk paying duty on everything at the highest rate for each item (it's a "priviledge" not a right) and or having it confiscated andother penalties (not to mention missing you connecting flight). Typical conversation with the Customs Officer. "Anything to declare, sir?" "Yes, we have 4 liters of rum - that is 2 liters over the duty free allowance." "Welcome home and have a nice day, sir." "Thank you, Officer, have a great day too."